First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

OP Sequence

OP: 「だって、ギュってして。」 (Datte, Gyutteshite) by 花谷麻妃 (Hanatani Maki)

「クマと少女 お別れの時」 (Kuma to Shoujo Owakare no Toki)
“Time For The Bear and the Girl To Part Ways”

While it may have started a bit slow and the timing of the humor could be tighter, I think Kuma Miko did a pretty decent job with its first episode.

Country Bumpkin

Living out in the boonies for a majority of your life can lead to a pretty skewed view of the world. Luckily for Machi, Natsu is here to save her from making a complete fool out of herself. Backtracking a bit, I was a little disappointed how loose the first huge joke was supposed to be. Compared to the source, it was supposed to be a quick succession of hits that slowly wittled away at Machi’s confidence at being able to handle life in the big city while inadvertantly piling on the laughs as Machi dug an ever growing hole underneath her. Instead we got about half of that in the same amount of time and it felt just a little too slow. I mean, we got a pretty good look at Machi and Natsu and what they’re all about – but it could have been so much more!

Also, for those of you who didn’t catch the joke, a suica (スイカ) is that fancy card you see all Japanese train riders tap to open the gates to their train. The word itself is also a homonym for the best thing you can bring to the beach in an anime – watermelon!

Quick History Lesson

While one of my favorite moments may have been chopped a bit, the second half hit the mark pretty well. Introducing the three kids we don’t see much of (except for the one in the hat, because he’s a troublemaker), I loved how it managed to capture the very essence of how little kids act. The boys salivating at the thought of something erotic and the girls ready to beat down any creeper that gets within a few feet of them – it was great! But it got even better when they were so suspicious about a “talking bear”. Something about seeing them mock Yoshio and then get the crap scared out of them just felt too damn rewarding.

Looking Ahead

So, even with my bloated expectations for this show, I think it turned out okay. While it may have had a bit of a rough start, I think it might just be the first episode jitters. Because once this show finds it mojo and manages to get going, it’s going to be pretty tough to start.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this first episode and I expect to see you guys around next week. See ya!

P.S. That ending sequence was super adorable and cute. Like, I’ve been a huge fan of the song since I heard it in PV2, but seeing such a cute style of animation paired with it made it even BETTER.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「KUMAMIKO DANCING」 雨宿まち（日岡なつみ）& クマ井ナツ（安元洋貴）feat.熊出村のみなさん by (Amayadori Machi (Natsumi Hioka) & Kumai Natsu (Hiroki Yasumoto) feat. Kumaide-mura no Minasan)

Omake

30 Comments

      5. um serious question:

        The target audience, are they more Mature Kids (16+) or really for kids around her age? (she is 14). Then are these jokes normal in their days?

        men i am to old for this

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

    2. Wait ’till the UN find out about this anime. they’ve been trying to stop anime & manga featuring girls being raped, bet they’ll be mad beyond comprehension when they find out an anime that looks friendly to kids like this has bestiality in it.

      danes256
      Reply

  4. Nice Anime, Nice backgrounds

    But seriously Funimation tranlslators…

    The Bear a ste start said “Welcome home”, and the Girl did say more then “thanks”.. it said “i am home”… Come one…

    Worldwidedepp
    Reply

    2. It’s a translation choice. No one says “I’m home” in English after being welcomed. Even if “I’m home” is —technically— the right translation, it’s awkward as fuck in English. Funi do get things wrong and their video quality is sub-par, but this one doesn’t deserve a complain.

      I loved this thing, I was watching it just because, like I always do at the start of every season, and was greatly surprised by it.

      Kamui
      Reply

    1. From the first “tadaima” to last “obasan”, this strikes me as very “Japanese” and maybe deliberately untranslatable.

      Another possibly related thing I noticed:the show starts with the joke about the stalking dangerous bear rearing up and saying “Okaeri” and ends with “I’ve been neutered.” In between we have the enraged miko wearing her ainu(!) jacket brandishing her ninagata and then the bear on women sex.

      I feel there is some kind of underlying metaphoric semi-serious discussion of wildness ( better word?) going on here, maybe a loss of mysterious or dangerous Japan. The “wildness” of the rural kid wanting the Bright Lights Big City would be another variation on the theme.
      I felt a little of this in Gingitsune, that the fox spirit was not completely a contemptible or ridiculous figure, that there was the hidden element of danger that we see in Natsume or Mushishi or many others. Watch that bear.

      I am always pleased when anime is layered and will keep watching.

      bob mcmanus
      Reply

    1. First thing I thought of was the main(?) female in Active Raid; she also had a penchant for speaking in engrish.

      Except that it was more cringeworthy there. I wonder if it’s the same VA?

      Hanabira.Kage
      Reply

  10. A surprise must-watch for me! I was expecting some heartwarming slice of life and friendship between a girl and a bear, so the ero gags, Machi’s personality, and her interaction with Natsu caught me by surprise. Machi’s voice actress is doing a really great job portraying her frustration at country life. Actually in general she did a great job portraying her, period. Not to mention Kaori’s seiyuu (she’s also Stella Vermillion’s voice!). I laughed at her “SEXUAL HARASSMENT,” and “DON’T TOUCH ME!” And I agree so much, that’s one of the cutest Ending animations this season. Feels like I’m watching an RPG.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

  11. It…. I can’t even process this. I was expecting Gingitsune and got…a bear rape myth, a Japanese homonym quiz (O101 = five in hex? Go?), a neutered bear, and a miko complaining about the diminutionization of Japanese country villages . Oh, and the cousin sounds like he’s auditioning for a Japanese game show host. Non, non, byori this ain’t!

    Bear
    Reply

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    Beedle
    Reply

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